The Perry wrestlers saw victory slip from their grasp Thursday against visiting Carlisle, but responded forcefully with a comfortable win over Des Moines Lincoln.
Carlisle scored the last 24 points to stun the hosts, 41-36, but Perry recovered in winning fashion by claiming a 55-22 win over DM Lincoln.
“I thought that we wrestled well tonight,” Perry head coach Trevor Kittleson said. “I knew against Carlisle that it would be a tight dual and it was. We pulled out a couple of wins but had a couple get away from us. That is how it goes. The main thing is that we always want our wrestlers to compete hard, win or lose, and tonight they did.”
Perry was without 106-pound standout Kaleb Olejniczak, who is tending to an injured hand, and were also missing their other lightweight star in 113-pounder Zach Thompson, who sat out under the concussion protocol. The pair represented almost certain points for the Jays, points that would have changed the outcome of Perry’s first dual.
Pins from Fernando Catalan (120), Gisaveri Niyibizi (126) and Kade VanKirk (132) sent the Jays to a quick 18-0 lead, with Jacob Thompson scoring a pin at 145 to offset a loss by fall at 138. Troy Jahnke (152) and Eli Saemisch (182) received forfeits, with losses by decision at 160 and by technical fall at 172 putting the score at 36-14 in favor of the Jays with five matches remaining.
At that point the Wildcats rallied, winning by decision at 195 and by fall at 220 and 285 to close to within 36-29. Perry’s forfeit at 106 brought Carlisle to score to 36-35, setting the stage for a winner-take-all match at 113 between Bluejay sophomore Mana Martinez and Wildcat freshman Lucas Olson.
The match was back-and-forth until the third period, when Olson slowly began to take over. Martinez battled gamely, but lost by fall at the 5 minute, 45 second mark as Carlisle seized the win.
“I told Mana not to get too upset,” Kittleson said of Martinez. “He went out and wrestled hard and just came up short. The effort was there, and that is what I look for. You give the other kid credit and move on.”
Perry was never in trouble against Lincoln, with forfeits to Niyibizi and VanKirk followed by a 10-2 major decision from Zach Stewart and an 8-5 victory from Jacob Thompson as the Jays burst to a 19-0 lead.
The Railsplitters won by fall at 152 and 195, but between those wins were Bluejay triumphs by pin from Adan Medina at 170 and Saemisch (182) along with a forfeit to Tanner Darr (160) as the score climbed to 37-12 in Perry’s favor.
The win for Medina was particularly encouraging, Kittleson noted, because it avenged a pair of losses the junior had suffered earlier this season to the same opponent.
Juan Campos received a forfeit at 220 and Tyler Soll recorded a pin (see video, below) at 285 to help Perry’s lead grow to 49-12, with the a forfeit to Martinez and Lincoln wins by forfeit at 106 and by major decision at 120 setting the final score.
Perry will compete Saturday in the Williamsburg Invitational, with the Jays joining Boone at ADM Tuesday and traveling with Greene County to Ballard Thursday. Perry will then host the Raccoon River Conference tournament Jan. 30.
